The Independent Folklorists’ Section of the
American Folklore Society announces the availability of a travel stipend of
$1000 to attend the 2015 AFS meeting in Long Beach, CA.

The award will support
travel costs (transportation, meeting registration, lodging and/or per diem
expenses) for a member of the AFS Independent Folklorists' Section involved in
public folklore to attend the annual meeting and to present their work. Support
for the award is provided by the Public Programs Section and the Independent
Folklorists’ Section.

The stipend will be awarded to a member of
the Independent Folklorists’ Section who plans to submit a proposal to the
upcoming annual AFS meeting program committee, and who demonstrates an interest
in, and contribution to, the field of public folklore.

The deadline for submission is via
e-mail by midnight, March 6, 2015. The deadline has been set prior to the AFS
presentation proposal deadline (March 31) so that the awardee will know that she/he
has travel funds before submitting his/her proposal to AFS.

The award is contingent on the applicant's proposal being accepted
for participation in the AFS meeting. The recipient will be announced to the
Public Programs and Independents Section members after AFS proposal reviews are
complete, usually by early June.

Eligibility:

To qualify for the award applicants
must meet the following criteria:

Be a member of the AFS
Independent Folklorists’ Section, but not necessarily an AFS member.

Live at least 100 miles
from the meeting location.

Be a member who earns a
significant portion of her/his income from independent consulting work.

Plan to attend
the annual AFS meeting for at least two full days as well as the business
meetings of the Public Programs and the Independent Folklorists’ Sections
(where they will be acknowledged and may be asked to briefly describe their
participation).

Be willing to submit
a brief written report of his or her participation in the AFS meeting to the
Public Programs and Independent Folklorists' sections not more than 30 days after
the conclusion of AFS.

Not have received the award
in the past two years.

Be willing to serve on
the selection committee the year following their award.

You may apply
for both this award and the Women Independent Folklorists’ Travel Award, if you
are eligible for both, and both will be reviewed by the same committee, but you
can only receive one award.

How To Apply:

Please submit the following
materials in an email attachment bymidnight, March
6, 2015, to this year’s Selection Committee Chair, Amy Skillman at amyskillman@gmail.com

A letter of application (not to
exceed three pages) with a narrative describing:

How you will participate in the annual American Folklore Society meeting
(paper session, poster session, panel, forum,
workshop, or other event);

Your work as an independent
folklorist and your experience and interest in public folklore;

The approximate proportion of your
income that is derived from independent consulting work;

The impact receiving the
Independent Folklorists’ Travel Stipend will have on your ability to attend AFS
2015;

How you hope to benefit from
attending the meeting and what contribution your presence at the meeting will
make to the field;

Budget Estimate: Please estimate the
travel expenses you expect to incur (Include airfare or other transportation
costs, lodging and meal expenses, and meeting registration fees). It is
understood that the $1000 stipend may not cover all expenses.

A current resume.

Review Criteria:

Applications are reviewed by the
stipend selection committee, which is composed of a representative from the
Public Programs Section, the Women’s Section, and recent recipients of the
award, according to the following criteria:

The quality and significance of
the applicant’s work, as based on the narrative, abstract proposal and résumé.

The extent to which the
applicant’s attendance at the AFS meetings will benefit both the applicant and
the field, especially in the area of public folklore.

The feasibility of the budget and
the applicant’s demonstrated need of the stipend in order to attend the
meeting.

The award recipient
will be notified by mid-March of the committee’s decision. If you have
questions about the Independent Folklorists' Travel Stipend contact 2015
Selection Committee Amy Skillman at amyskillman@gmail.com

The Independent Folklorists' Section gratefully acknowledges
support from the AFS Public Programs Section to facilitate participation in the
annual meeting by an independent folklorist.